When the Life You’ve Built Still Isn’t Enough and How to Restore
What Actually Matters
Christian Living / Religion / Nonfiction
Date Published: August 4, 2026
Publisher: Lucid Books Publishing
You’ve worked hard, built a good life, and achieved what you set out to
accomplish. So why does something still feel off?
On the surface, everything looks right. But underneath, something is beginning
to crack—and no amount of success, performance, or achievement seems to
fix it.
Josh Wintermute knows that feeling well. After walking through physical,
mental, financial, and spiritual struggles, he came to a life-changing
realization: the problem wasn’t just the circumstances—it was the
foundation.
In this honest and practical book, Josh walks you through the three
foundational areas every life is built on—your heart, your home, and
your culture. He helps you uncover what’s broken beneath the surface, do
the hard work of restoration, and rebuild on what truly matters.
you are going to make it.
EXCERPT
I didn’t know what to do. I tried turning my head from left to right, but no matter what direction I turned, a stinging pain shot through my neck. At thirty years old, I never imagined I would be dealing with the amount of pain I was experiencing every moment of every day. I felt like a weight was sitting between my shoulders, giving off moments of sharp, piercing pain that radiated down my arms and into my fingers. With all this constant pain, I couldn’t focus at work, and even being present with my family and friends became noticeably more difficult. No matter how much I prayed, rested, or stretched, there was no relief from the pain.
I saw a chiropractor who did everything within his scope of care to bring some relief, but nothing worked. The next step was to get an MRI to see what was happening in my spine. There I was inside the MRI tube, listening to the loud clicks of the machine and hoping for answers about the pain I was constantly feeling. A few days later, I got a call from the doctor who said I had five herniated discs in my neck and upper back. I was relieved by the answers but stood motionless, unsure what to do next. My chiropractor had a plan—adjustments, spinal decompression, and pain management injections.
For the next year, I spent four to five days a week at the chiropractor’s office to get adjusted and have my spine stretched, hoping to move the discs into place. Each session lasted about an hour, and the out-of-pocket expenses quickly added up. We met our insurance deductibles and were maxing out our out-of-pocket requirements. After all these treatments, I was still miserable, still in pain. I told my doctor, “I can’t keep doing this. What do I need to do next?” He suggested talking to a surgeon, the very thing we were trying to avoid by doing the treatments. So I reached out to a handful of neurosurgeons, and they scheduled me to have another round of MRIs to see what shape my spinal cord and discs were in.
The results of the MRIs revealed I still had three discs out of place and bulging. The conversation shifted to surgery and a plan to cut out one disc, replace it with a spacer, and fuse the vertebrae together. This was intended to save as many discs and vertebrae as possible due to my age and the severity of my condition. The surgeon warned me that additional surgeries might be necessary because of the extra stress on the bones above and below the fused vertebrae. But I was desperate for relief, so I told them to schedule the surgery.
A few weeks later, I went in for the surgery, optimistic about finding some relief. After the anesthesia wore off, I woke up in a different kind of pain due to the surgery. The surgeon expressed his findings and said the surgery was a success. I was instructed to rest for the next six weeks and then have a follow-up appointment to see if everything looked correct.
I was working full-time at a large organization and had three young sons, all under the age of six, so resting was not as easy as it sounded. After six weeks, I went back to see the surgeon and had an X-ray, which showed a successful surgery. He gave me some tips and limitations for my continued healing and recovery. I felt relief from the pain I had been dealing with and was so grateful that I was on the road to a full recovery. Then the unimaginable happened.
About the Author
helping leaders build their lives on a solid foundation. With over 20 years of
pastoral ministry, Josh has walked with hundreds of people through
life’s ups and downs and has a deep desire to see people heal and grow
through the challenges we face in life. Josh has been married for over 25
years, has three sons, and lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Contact Links
Instagram: @joshwintermute
@quiet_winters
